“I was really pumped to meet Melody Nguyen. She’s this amazingly talented makeup artist who was on the panel. I watch all her YouTube videos religiously.”
Xander cocked his head. “The Melody who just won an Oscar for that indie film? What’s it called again?”
“Yes!Midnight Slips By,” I said excitedly. “She’s the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. No surprise though. Her attention to detail is stunning. And don’t get me started on her prosthetics. They’re mind-blowing.” A small smile crept onto Xander’s face, and I realized I was rambling. “Sorry, Melody is kind of an idol of mine.”
“Hold that thought.” Xander pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts before hitting Call. “Hey, long time no talk. How are you?” he said when someone answered. “Yeah, so I’ve heard. I’m here too… Well, I was supposed to, but that fell through, and now I have some free time. You wanna meet up? There’s someone with me who’s dying to meet you.”
My eyes went wide. Holy shit. Was Xander talking to who I thought he was?
“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” he said with a nod. “See you in five.”
“What was that all about?” I asked, trying to sound calm.
“It just so happens that I know a certain makeup artist.” He leaned to the side so he could shove his phone into his back pocket. “Have you seen the music video for our song ‘The End of Love’?”
I beamed. Of course I’d seen the video—it was the band’s first single and largest hit off their debut album. “The apocalypse one.”
“Yeah, where we turn into zombies. Melody did all our makeup for it. Would you like to meet her? Obviously her panel is over, but she’s still here.”
“Are you serious right now?” I exclaimed. “I’d legit sell my kidney to meet Melody.”
“One hundred percent serious. No internal organs required.”
“Oh my God, yes!” I wanted to explode off the couch, whoop with joy, and dance around the room, but I forced myself to rein in my excitement by taking a deep breath. “Thank you so much, Xander. This is beyond amazing.”
“Does this help make your craptastic day a little bit better?”
“So much more, you don’t even know.”
A crooked smile appeared on his face. “Then it’s my pleasure.” Standing up, he stretched, then nodded at the door. “Ready when you are.”
My phone buzzed again.
Violet:
Seriously? If you’re going to ignore me, you should turn your read receipts off.
“Give me one second,” I said, holding up a finger. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to answer in the middle of a signing, I called my sister. As expected, it went straight to voicemail, and I left a message. “Hey, Vi. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I’ll be taking the rest of the day off. Good luck finding someone to replace me, but if you do, give them my regards. I have an overwhelming amount of sympathy for them.”
Xander whistled when I hit End. “Wow. You’re seriously pissed, aren’t you?”
“Actually,” I said, a smile tugging on my lips, “I’m feeling pretty good right now.” After all, I was about to meet Melody Nguyen. Giving my sister a figurative middle finger was an added bonus.
Chapter 3
“You know Alec, right?” Xander asked as we made our way through the convention center’s tangle of back corridors.
The area was restricted to everyone without a professional pass, and while the public floors of the building were enclosed in glass, allowing an ocean of natural light to sweep inside, the guts of the operation were undressed and gloomy: the ceiling was exposed, revealing ducts and pipes and steel beams that crisscrossed each other like a network of roads; the floor was sealed concrete, shiny and unforgiving to dirt and scuff marks; and the fluorescent overhead lights cast the space in a sickly white glow.
“Yup. Violet and I grew up with the Williamses. They’re kind of like our unofficial cousins.”
“How come we’ve never met before?”
I shrugged and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s not like Alec and I hang out on a regular basis. If you haven’t noticed, his life is kind of hectic.”
Xander grinned. It was the adorable lopsided kind where one side of his mouth lifted up higher than the other. “Okay, fair point, but hasn’t he invited you to one of our concerts?”
“We’re talking about the same Alec Williams, right? The mostreserved, modest person I know? He’d never assume someone was interested in seeing him perform, even if that someone is important to him.”
